Question: To Hide or Not to Hide?

So I’m back.. and I’ll be posting a lot more now of news and PR, but I’m wondering about something and I thought I would ask an opinion about it. The question is to hide or not to hide as in the press releases? Basically they’ll posted normally with an intro and pictures and then the text of the official press releases. Do I hide them behind a spoiler like box or just let them be? Personally I just like to let them be as hiding them makes the reader have to push the button to see them. My thought are hat if you clicked through the intro to the post then you were interested in reading more and reading the press releases so why should you have to press a button to read it? See below for an example of what I mean..

So let’s say I’m posting a PR about the new Booq Viper Courier laptop bag…

Normally I would do this with a picture and then the PR text in quotes:

Booq, a leading brand of premium laptop bags, backpacks and iPad carrying cases, unveils their latest laptop bag, the new Viper courier. Minimalist design coupled with intelligent pocket-ability make this ultra-slim fitting bag the right fit for any 13”-15” Mac or PC. Organically dyed and water-repelling, the Viper courier’s exterior was fabricated using a natural fiber developed exclusively for this series. The bag zips open to feature an interior lined with durable nylon fabric and a densely padded notebook compartment that keeps your laptop protected and scratch-free. With tuck-away carrying handles and a removable seatbelt nylon shoulder strap, the Viper courier is your most comfortable and stylish companion for under the arm or over the shoulder. The Viper courier is now available on www.booqbags.com for $99.95 (13” Mac or PC) and $109.95 (15” Mac or PC).

Viper courier keeps booq’s intelligent design in this innovative bag that fuses a computer sleeve with a slim bag in one. Its understated form offers an ultra-slim fit without compromising storage space or adding bulk. High performance YKK zippers open up to a main compartment that features a pocket specifically designed for your iPad, two pen slots, and a zippered pocket to fit your creative tools. A pocket on the back side of the bag’s exterior offers plenty of room for your most needed paperwork and other flat items, including a concealed quick-access pocket for your iPhone.

“Computer sleeves just don’t cut it in today’s day and age,” says booq’s Lead Designer, S. Kema Subsomboon. “The Viper courier takes a computer sleeve and transforms it into a slim-fitting bag, so that the rest of your stuff can fit with your computer, and vice-versa. We wanted to make something minimalistic and lightweight that was also strong and durable, but with a natural and stylish feel. The seatbelt shoulder strap not only makes the bag comfortable to carry, but gives it an urban look and feel that’s still professional.”

The Viper courier comes in an understated grey color that’s been organically dyed and made waterproof to endure even the toughest of days. All bags come tagged with a Terralinq serial number. Once registered, the booq Terralinq service may help reunite you with your lost & found bag.

But with the Spoiler it would look like this, the picture could be outside of inside, but I like it outside..

[spoiler]

Booq, a leading brand of premium laptop bags, backpacks and iPad carrying cases, unveils their latest laptop bag, the new Viper courier. Minimalist design coupled with intelligent pocket-ability make this ultra-slim fitting bag the right fit for any 13”-15” Mac or PC. Organically dyed and water-repelling, the Viper courier’s exterior was fabricated using a natural fiber developed exclusively for this series. The bag zips open to feature an interior lined with durable nylon fabric and a densely padded notebook compartment that keeps your laptop protected and scratch-free. With tuck-away carrying handles and a removable seatbelt nylon shoulder strap, the Viper courier is your most comfortable and stylish companion for under the arm or over the shoulder. The Viper courier is now available on www.booqbags.com for $99.95 (13” Mac or PC) and $109.95 (15” Mac or PC).

Viper courier keeps booq’s intelligent design in this innovative bag that fuses a computer sleeve with a slim bag in one. Its understated form offers an ultra-slim fit without compromising storage space or adding bulk. High performance YKK zippers open up to a main compartment that features a pocket specifically designed for your iPad, two pen slots, and a zippered pocket to fit your creative tools. A pocket on the back side of the bag’s exterior offers plenty of room for your most needed paperwork and other flat items, including a concealed quick-access pocket for your iPhone.

“Computer sleeves just don’t cut it in today’s day and age,” says booq’s Lead Designer, S. Kema Subsomboon. “The Viper courier takes a computer sleeve and transforms it into a slim-fitting bag, so that the rest of your stuff can fit with your computer, and vice-versa. We wanted to make something minimalistic and lightweight that was also strong and durable, but with a natural and stylish feel. The seatbelt shoulder strap not only makes the bag comfortable to carry, but gives it an urban look and feel that’s still professional.”

The Viper courier comes in an understated grey color that’s been organically dyed and made waterproof to endure even the toughest of days. All bags come tagged with a Terralinq serial number. Once registered, the booq Terralinq service may help reunite you with your lost & found bag.

I prefer to have the PR behind a spoiler too. I like to read quick commentary and if im interested have the option to dive deeper. I read hundreds of articles each day so like to skim and prioritize for in depth reading.

I think the thing to remember is that we are not just going to copy and paste PR and hit publish. The PR we are talking about is personally selected by a writer and has some commentary. Basically things we think are very interesting and want to share. We are not becoming, not will we ever become an aggregate website.

As for the hide or not to hide. I think we should skip the copy/paste and link back to the website for more information. I think if we write a paragraph or so stating why we are posting the PR is sufficient and of the reader needs more information beyond that they can go to the mfg website to purchase or get more info. Perhaps just a copy and paste a few relevant attributes and pricing.

LEt’s see what the readers have to say. Hopefully we can build some interest again and build our reader base,

Well that’s where the problem comes in… sometimes you can’t link to the website… Many times when i get PR it’s not even on the company website yet so there’s nothing to link to.. prime example, most PR I get about phones aren’t correct, most of the time the company sends it out and their site isn’t even updated yet with that new phone they’re announcing.

I agree cutting it down is good and the way it should be done.

Include a couple pictures and a ‘stripped down’ version of the PR and a link back to the company site or product page if available..

Like above in the Booq viper release.. I would strip out that big quote altogether. I would also strip out part of the intro sentence so it reads something like The Viper Courier has a minimalist design… basically everything up to the Viper Courier link is gone.

Pricing info doesn’t need to be listed twice either, just leave it in at the bottom so people know the price and where to go. or if the price was put in the intro by the author strip it out altogether and just leave the link to the company there.

Doing it this way you’ve got a sleeker looking PR with just the info for the reader, just a couple or few paragraphs essentially giving the reader more knowledge about the product right from the manufacturer.

i like the link… you do a great job at filling me in on mostly everything i need to know about the product, shit i hardly ever read the press info. But for those who can’t get enough of it… just click the link.